The easiest way to say it is just to say it: There are grown men out there who devote themselves to the rainbow-unicorn-sparkly-pastel fantasy world of the childrens TV show My Little Pony. And, more appallingly, its not done ironically  they are proud of it.

There are also grown men[and women] who devote themselves to the recreation of actual railroads in miniature and go out in public with their overalls and engineer caps!

Guilty as charged. I popped over to the Office Depot one day last winter wearing full 1964 Army missleman kit, all OG-107ed, starched, blocked and spit shined (in my weak pathetic defense I was trying to break in the boots). As I was leaving, a bonafide Army Major in dumpy ACUs walked into the store. As a lowly Spec5 I snapped to full attention and saluted with a smart heel click. The guy looked like he'd seen a ghost! He returned the salute in slow motion...never did tell me to "carry on". LOL.

Out of curiosity I watched episode 1 on YouTube about a month ago. It seemed pretty cool. So I watched episode 2. And 3. I have now watched all 52 episodes. The show is ADDICTIVE! Great writing, complex characters and good animation all combine into something far greater than just a "little girls cartoon".

Go ahead - join the herd (note: you might want to skip the first two minutes)

A story like Lord of the Rings may be a bit nerdy  I mean, it has elves  but the lessons there, about the need to overcome ones fears and to sacrifice ones self if need be to defend your people, are as vital as ever.

The elves of LOTR have absolutely nothing in common with the more common conception. These elves will kick your ass.

isn't it just a matter of time before a country with the means and motivation finally just figures out that except for a few places in the South, they could just land an army on the continental United States and kick the living shit out of us?

Except for that whole bit about the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

As well, if you’ve got kids you are going to have to deal with some of this stuff on the television. My daughters are old now, but I remember having to sit through the Rugrats, with those voices (mostly adult women doing the voice over).

If they throw a bone to the adults having to deal with this audio running through their home space (because we certainly aren’t watching, but we DO hear it).. well that’s okay with me. A little adult humor is appreciated.

however.... watching this show, without children, that is strange. then again I haven’t seen it. If it’s like the Mighty Mouse new series from a few years back, well then there is a great deal of adult humor and I would understand the phenom then.

Whenever I play with my My Little Pony set, it makes me realize that I have fat, hairy sausage-fingers. Then I cry, because I realize I am not a 9 year old girl after all — no matter how much I dress like one.

Granddad was a railroad hobbyist. He built everything from junk and found objects...old cans, cardboard and bits of wire. The layout is long gone but I still have a few of his smaller pieces. They are brilliant.

I am middle-aged and I still build model ships, planes and armor. It drives my wife nuts. ;-)

“Model railroading is actually pretty cool. They have some amazing layouts.”

There are vids on youtube of huge layouts with unbelievable detail. Nothing new, either, Lionel Corp. used to advertise on TV in the 1950’s around Christmas time with studio layouts that had kids like me well, wanting Lionel trains & accessories under the tree. Had a pretty decent 4’ by 8’ layout with one whole train but that’s all Dad could afford.

Then I discovered girls and ever since the train goes under the Christmas tree once a year and that’s it.

;^)

73
posted on 04/26/2012 8:02:07 AM PDT
by elcid1970
("Deport all Muslims. Nuke Mecca now. Death to Islam means freedom for all mankind.")

Being seven, now, that would be the life. I would wear a pretty little yellow jumper while I skipped rope, and I’d know all the words to jump-rope rhymes like, “Cinderella Dressed In Yellow.” I could even pretend I was Cinderella in my pretty little yellow jumper. Not that I’d have just the one jumper, mind you; I’d have dozens, in many different colors, and lots of beautiful sun-dresses, and lots of adorable, lacy, frilly white socks to wear with my buckle-shoes. I would have one very special pink flowery pinafore that I would only wear to teatime with Pooh and Paddington and Raggedy Ann. I would wear this dress with a sweet little bonnet with ribbons, and my hair would be long and fine and done up in bows. I would be a pretty little girl, very prim and proper and delicate—not some big, burly ox who can barely get his finger through the cup-handle without breaking the cup half the time. I would always stick my pinky out while I sipped from my cup. There would be biscuits and little white cakes, as well, and I would throw a simply delightful afternoon tea party. I would be the very best little girl in the world, and the grownups would buy me lollipops and treats and generally spoil me. I would say, “Please” and “Thank you” and “If you please, ma’am,” and the grownups would protect me and keep me safe.

First of all, I'm a brony, and I'm not one bit ashamed. Second of all, I'm to the right of everyone here. I'm a Theocrat and a Theonomic positivist on a site that worships eighteenth century enlightenment rationalists like Thomas Jefferson. Furthermore a couple weeks ago I met with a small group of fellow bronies who were all right wing fundamentalist chr*stians. You folks who think you know the political orientation of all fans of a television show are acting like idiots.

I've been a cartoon fan my entire life. For a while there cartoons were pretty bad. However, recently cartoons have become very intelligent and clever. Unfortunately, accompanying this has been the addition of crudities which would not have been tolerated a few years ago.

"Friendship is Magic" combines the best of both worlds. It has all the intelligence of so many contemporary cartoons with none of the crudities. No farting. No references to mucus or any such thing. It's one hundred percent family friendly. And there's nothing political on it. I have no doubt whatsoever that the people who make the show are 99.999% liberals, but there is no liberalism or political ideology whatsoever on the show. It's fun, it's innocent, it's intelligent, and it's very entertaining. What's wrong with watching a show you like? I personally have no idea whatsoever what is so appealing about football (baseball's my game), but do I go on rants about how brutal and stupid I think football is? To each his own.

The brony community, whatever their political orientation may or may not be, is extremely talented. The musicians certainly have more talent than Lady Ka-Ka or whatever her name is. The videos, art, comics, and fiction is first rate. I am currently in the process of reading a series of fan fics that could have been written by Tolkien. This stuff is unbelievable! I wish I had that much talent.

Yes, there are some freaks in the community, just as there are in all communities. But to shoot off your big bazoo about how "conservatives" are appalled at bronies is to pick an unnecessary fight and insist on a point of conservative "orthodoxy" no different from the people who say that conservatives "must" support smoking, or those who used to say that "true conservatives" had to be opposed to Israel.

The show harms no one. It isn't liberal (even if it is made by liberals). It's just a nice little cartoon show with a creative and dedicated fan base that spans the political and religious spectrums (and whose producers are very supportive of their fans). It has nothing whatsoever to do with being a Democrat or supporting Barack Obama . . . absolutely nothing. That idea exists only in the minds of some anti-bronies (and some leftist bronies).

I suppose it was only a matter of time before some "true conservative" tried to label me a "leftist" because I prefer FIM to all the idiocy elsewhere on television. I'm facepalming, people. I'm facepalming big time.

“Model railroading is actually pretty cool. They have some amazing layouts.”

There are vids on youtube of huge layouts with unbelievable detail. Nothing new, either, Lionel Corp. used to advertise on TV in the 1950’s around Christmas time with studio layouts that had kids like me well, wanting Lionel trains & accessories under the tree. Had a pretty decent 4’ by 8’ layout with one whole train but that’s all Dad could afford.

Then I discovered girls and ever since the train goes under the Christmas tree once a year and that’s it.

;^)

88
posted on 04/26/2012 9:10:17 AM PDT
by elcid1970
("Deport all Muslims. Nuke Mecca now. Death to Islam means freedom for all mankind.")

I know you're just funning around, but I'm going to go ahead and say this so there's no doubt about where I stand.

Male homosexuality is a universal capital offense, for both Jews and non-Jews. Female homosexuality technically doesn't exist (what can they do?), but it is also forbidden Middrabbanan. I advocate the eventual universal acquiescence to Divine law, including these penalties.

So far I have myself been pleasantly surprised that no homosexual themes have been introduced into the actual show. The "gay rights" movement has been so strident and so successful that I'm actually surprised our children's cartoons weren't drenched with homosexual propaganda years ago. But at least for now, there is no homosexual or "adult" content of any kind in FIM. And should that day ever come, I would be both deeply hurt and morally outraged. Let's hope that middle American parents still have enough clout to keep our cartoons de-politicized and de-sexualized for a long time to come (hopefully forever).

And as for the picture above? Well . . . it's no worse than "Cupcakes!"

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